SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Real-time sports updates provider, LiveScore, has partnered with 1998 World Cup winner and Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit for a World Cup campaign.
Looking into the lengths football fans go to keep up with following scores, the campaign reveals that 40% say if a football match is on that they’re unable to watch, they have a ‘real fear’ of missing the score.
Furthermore, with many World Cup matches set to take place during work hours, 44% of Brits say the tournament takes priority ahead of their jobs. Meanwhile, one in 10 go as far as saying they will call in sick to watch games to ‘avoid getting FOMS’ (Fear of Missing Scores).
Ric Leask, Marketing Director at LiveScore, said: “This year’s tournament is going to be like no other in history. With work, childcare responsibilities and festive social plans, it’s going to be even harder for football fans to juggle the fixtures around their daily lives.
“While our data shows that many supporters have a real Fear of Missing Scores when they’re unable to watch games, the good news is that regardless of whether it’s for league fixtures during the season or major tournaments, LiveScore can keep them close to the action with real-time score updates throughout.”
With over a third (36%) of respondents saying if a match is on and they’re unable to watch it and they can’t think of anything else, some admitted to checking scores at a nudist beach, on a volcanic lagoon, on the labour ward and even at Mount Everest base camp.
The data also revealed that over half of football followers say their partners tell them off for looking at scores on their phones, while 37% confess to sneaking off to the toilet to look up the scores while out and about.
With two-fifths of respondents admitting they suffer from FOMS, with the unusual schedule of the Qatar-based tournament, the operator claimed that ‘cases of FOMS will undoubtedly rise over the coming weeks’.
Petit, Ambassador for LiveScore’s FOMS campaign, added: “I’ve had the privilege of playing in some huge games during my career and I even achieved every footballer’s dream of scoring for my country during a World Cup final.
“I’ve been part of moments in football history that fans wish they could have experienced or maybe relive again, which is why I’m proud to be part of LiveScore’s FOMS campaign.”
Moreso, a fifth of respondents stated they would cancel their Christmas plans to prioritise the tournament.
Finally, the campaign revealed the top 20 places that respondents admitted to checking the score, ranging from at a family meal ranking fifth, to in hospital ranking 10th, and during a work meeting which came in at number 13.
